Microsoft Loses Another Round in i4i Case

Microsoft has just not had any luck in its i4i patent infringement case, where it was found to have infringed on the patents of tiny i4i with recent versions of Microsoft Word. This week, Microsoft lost another round in court but it still has another chance. Datamation has all the wrangling.

The panel of judges that turned down Microsoft's appeal of a major patent infringement verdict against the company in December clarified part of its earlier ruling on the case Wednesday.

However, Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) case is still alive, because the full court has not yet decided whether or not to rehear the company's appeal in an "en banc" proceeding, meaning that it would be considered by all of the judges in that appeals court circuit at once -- although such group rehearings are seldom granted.

Beyond that, if its request to the appeals court goes unheeded, Microsoft has not yet decided whether it will petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a hearing, according to sources close to the case.

"We realize that a full en banc rehearing is rare but we feel the issues need to be addressed," said one of the sources.

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